winning screenplays

1st Scene Screenplay: PUPPETS, by James Griffiths

1stscenescreenplay 1st Scene Screenplays, First Scene Script, Uncategorized, winning screenplays , , , , , , ,

May 2016 Winning 1st Scene Screenplay

Watch PUPPETS, by James Griffiths:

Genre: Sci FI, Thriller, Noir

Synopsis: A rebellious New Yorker suspects his warehouse retail employer is controlling the minds of it’s staff and causing them to commit suicide.
CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Kaufmann
LADY – Jennifer Ferris
ANNOUNCER – Moui Nene

Get to know writer James Griffiths:

1. What is your screenplay about?

A rebellious New Yorker begins to suspect his employer is brainwashing their staff, and the only antidote is to continually eat small doses of rat poison.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Puppets strives to be an entertaining, dark satire of our consumerist society. The neo noir elements give cinematic potential to this mature narrative. I believe this story does not patronize it’s audience with cheap sentimentality, and provides a rewarding escape from our lives.

3. How would you describe this script in two words?

Dystopian Satire.

4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

Withnail and I

5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

It took about 3 months writing characters, preparing story, then another couple of weeks writing and revising.

6. How many stories have you written?

3 features and 1 short.

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

I am interested in how much we are often defined by our job, and as is often the case in New York, our work becomes the only source of meaning in our lives. I became interested in a character who realizes this and becomes a negation in the work model.

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

My main obstacle I always face with my scripts and films is finding the energy and time to dedicate to these projects around my day job. My hope is that at some point these projects will generate money to pay bills, but until then I must keep on grinding!

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I am about to begin shooting a short film this coming June, which actually a short form version of the Puppets idea.

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

The opportunity to get professional feedback was appealing, and provided me with an informed opinion on how I should improve the next draft of my script.

I did, however, receive feedback on another screenplay I’d submitted entitled The Great Suburban Showdown. Generally I’m rather appreciative of feedback, and I often will make changes based upon it.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Keep writing. Keep reading.

***
Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson

Watch the April 2016 1st Scene Script Winners

1stscenescreenplay 1st Scene Screenplays, First Scene Script, Uncategorized, winning screenplays , , , , ,

Submit your First Scene to the Festival: http://firstscenescreenplay.com

Watch the April 2016 1st Scene Script Winners:

The Wedding Thief
Written by Brett Bacon

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Kaufmann
JOEY – Michael Lake
LORENZO – Noah Casey
DOM – Dennis Barham

SYNOPSIS:

Genre: Comedy, Crime

A professional thief pilfers money from the super-rich at weddings until he is caught stealing from the Italian mob and then is forced to take a priceless work of art from the Russian mob or die trying.

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Man Seeking Monkey
Written by Steve Mikals

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Kaufmann
MITCHELL – Michael Lake
DET. STRUMMER – Noah Casey
ARTHUR – Kiran Friesen
ARTHUR – Dennis Barham

SYNOPSIS:

Genre: Comedy

Aided by their human friends, chimpanzees with typewriters try to climb the Evolutionary ladder.

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Monster Beneath The Ice
Written by Jerry Kokich

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Kaufmann
VLADIMIR – Noah Casey
EVGENY – Michael Lake
PILOT – Dennis Barham

SYNOPSIS:

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

A good, old fashioned “B” picture for your first scene enjoyment.

EVGENY and VLADIMIR discuss when the supply plane will arrive. Outside, Evgeny is almost knocked down by a moving ridge in the ice, but Vladimir saves him. The ridge destroys shacks and machinery, and the incoming plane just manages to rescue them.

1st Scene Script Reading – The Wedding Thief by Brett Bacon

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Watch the April 2016 1st Scene Screenplay Winner.

The Wedding Thief
Written by Brett Bacon

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Kaufmann
JOEY – Michael Lake
LORENZO – Noah Casey
DOM – Dennis Barham

SYNOPSIS:

Genre: Comedy, Crime

A professional thief pilfers money from the super-rich at weddings until he is caught stealing from the Italian mob and then is forced to take a priceless work of art from the Russian mob or die trying.

Interview with Brett Bacon:

1. What is your screenplay about?

A disciplined thief who specializes in super-rich weddings must take on an unpredictable and madcap rival or else lose his criminal operation, get apprehended by the police and taken out by the mob.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

It’s a fun blend of two popular movie genres: romantic comedy and the heist. And who doesn’t like weddings?

3. How would you describe this script in two words?

comedy heist

4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

Enter the Dragon

5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

1 year.

6. How many stories have you written?

6

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

I love the idea of combining the excitement and suspense of a heist with the fun and tension of a romantic comedy.

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

Making sure that each major character gets their due in terms of character development.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Family, travel, fly-fishing, movies and reading.

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I am a big fan of the Wildsound Festival and they have a great reputation. The feedback was very constructive and helpful. I felt that it was tough love– but not so tough that I wanted to jump off a bridge!

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Keep writing, never give up, don’t be afraid of taking risks and putting yourself out there.

***

Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson

1st Scene Script Reading – Man Seeking Monkey by Steve Mikals

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Watch the April 2016 1st Scene Screenplay Winner.

Man Seeking Monkey
Written by Steve Mikals

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Kaufmann
MITCHELL – Michael Lake
DET. STRUMMER – Noah Casey
ARTHUR – Kiran Friesen
ARTHUR – Dennis Barham

SYNOPSIS:

Genre: Comedy

Aided by their human friends, chimpanzees with typewriters try to climb the Evolutionary ladder.

Interview with Steve Mikals:

1. What is your screenplay about?

My screenplay is about the comedy of Evolution, how bigger forces than we realize are at work on this planet. It begins with a book shop putting a chimpanzee with a typewriter in the window, to see if he will type Shakespeare. It then follows that thread to some logically absurd conclusions. Along the way this will involve a secret program of one hundred typing chimpanzees and the canon of Western literature, spoofs of Mafia loan sharks and “going to the mattresses”, and the DNA of Custer’s scalps. Plural.

Trust me, it works.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

It deserves to be a movie because it entertains AND challenges the audience to think beyond comfort zones. Two examples of this are the classic comedy Groundhog Day, and one of my current favorites, Lucy, Luc Bresson’s provocative look at human potential welded to a Hong Kong action flick.

3. How would you describe this script in two words?

The Ruminant.

4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

Annie Hall. It’s one of the all-time greats, especially for an ending that refuses to pull punches.

5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

I recently wrote a novel, my first. It took me three years, on and off. It took only three months to adapt it into the rough draft of this screenplay, but it has been polish and edit ever since.

6. How many stories have you written?

I have two others in progress. One, a followup to MSM, set in the same book shop with a few of the same characters. It has a killer opening sequence, but I have yet to settle on the metaphysical instrument it revolves around. The second is a romantic comedy that follows the aftermath of a divorce, and I hope captures some of the poignancy as well as the comic possibilities. I will submit both of the openings to this festival.

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

This screenplay began as a novel (my own), and as I watched the publishing world collapse in the Internet Age, I decided I had a better shot at success with a screenplay and film festivals like this one. Plus, I’ve given up reading novels, except for clean stylists that I find helpful in my writing, like Jonathan Franzen, Raymond Chandler, Elmore Leonard, and George Higgins,

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

I was working from a novel (my own) with TOO MANY funny plots, characters and scenes. I had to teach myself a great deal about editing and make tough but rewarding choices.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

You can be passionate about more than one thing? 🙂

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

Critiquing the first ten pages is a great idea. That’s the easiest part to write, so it had better rock. The feedback is objective and helpful.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Accept all feedback in the constructive spirit it is given. Let it sink in over time. These people are now where you want to be.

***

Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson

 

1st Scene Script Reading – Monster Beneath The Ice by Jerry Kokich

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Watch the April 2016 1st Scene Screenplay Winner.

Monster Beneath The Ice
Written by Jerry Kokich

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Kaufmann
VLADIMIR – Noah Casey
EVGENY – Michael Lake
PILOT – Dennis Barham

SYNOPSIS:

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

A good, old fashioned “B” picture for your first scene enjoyment.

EVGENY and VLADIMIR discuss when the supply plane will arrive. Outside, Evgeny is almost knocked down by a moving ridge in the ice, but Vladimir saves him. The ridge destroys shacks and machinery, and the incoming plane just manages to rescue them.

Get to know writer Jerry Kokich:

1. What is your screenplay about?

In the early 60’s, a Russian Arctic research station uncovers a horrible monster.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

We need a good, entertaining, popcorn movie, and this is it!

3. How would you describe this script in two words?

Midnight movie!

4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

Raiders of The Lost Ark!

5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

On and off, three years, more off than on.

6. How many stories have you written?

Six books, two published, a number of short stories, three audio dramas, several screenplays, four or five low budget filmmaking articles, a ballet blog, five scripts for a Doctor Who parody series I produced, and eight for an unproduced comedy scifi web series.

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

I knew a former Navy intelligence officer, who was actually stationed in the Arctic, who told me stories. Not about any monsters…

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

I ran into writer’s block about the ending, which I usually get first when I start a story. I’m going back and forth between a couple of endings.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I was a ballet dancer with The Joffrey Ballet, and I teach in Los Angeles. I’m very passionate about my students and their development.

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I felt this first scene was one of my better ones, and I needed some feedback, so when I found about wildsound’s contest, I thought, here’s a golden opportunity!

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Never assume a woman is pregnant. Seriously, though, keep writing. Keep writing everything. Screenplays, short stories, poems, articles, blogs, everything. Writing is like anything: you have to do it to get better at it.

***

Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson

 

Watch 1st Scene Script Reading: PROMISES, by Lee Forgang

1stscenescreenplay 1st Scene Screenplays, First Scene Script, Uncategorized, winning screenplays , , , , , , , , , ,

Submit your First Scene to the Festival: http://firstscenescreenplay.com

Watch the October 2014 1st Scene Script Winner:

PROMISES, by Lee Forgang

SYNOPSIS:

On the eve of World War II, promises are made as a family is torn apart.

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Frances Stecyk
SARAH – Silvina Andrea D’Alessandro
BERTA – Cindy Landerman
ARI – Dan Cristofori
ABE – Neil Bennett
GESTAPO AGENT – Jason Martorino
AGENT #2 – Gabriel Darku

Watch the Winning 1st Scene Screenplays (so far) in 2016

1stscenescreenplay 1st Scene Screenplays, First Scene Script, Uncategorized, winning screenplays , , , ,

Deadline March 13th. Submit and get your first 10 pages performed!
https://firstscenescreenplay.com/

Watch the January 2016 Winners:
https://firstscenescreenplay.com/2016/01/16/january-2016-winners/

Watch the February 2016 Winners:
https://firstscenescreenplay.com/2016/02/21/watch-the-february-2016-1st-scene-script-winners/

Watch the March 2016 Winners:
https://firstscenescreenplay.com/2016/03/09/watch-the-march-2016-1st-scene-script-winners/

Watch over 60 1st Scene Screenplay Winners:

* * * * *

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month: http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Watch the March 2016 1st Scene Script Winners

1stscenescreenplay 1st Scene Screenplays, First Scene Script, Uncategorized, winning screenplays , , , , , , ,

Submit your First Scene to the Festival: http://firstscenescreenplay.com

Watch the March 2016 1st Scene Script Winners:

Watch RENAISSANCE MAN by Robert Tolz

CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Fran Townend
ELISSA – Annie MacKay
BALTHAZAAR – Jonathan Robbins
PYGMALION – John Marcucci
LAZURUS/ACHERBUS – Sean Ballantyne

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Watch ELISSA OF TYRE by Alan Mehanna

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Fran Townend
ELISSA – Annie MacKay
BALTHAZAAR – Jonathan Robbins
PYGMALION – John Marcucci
LAZURUS/ACHERBUS – Sean Ballantyne

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Watch BEFORE GOD by Stuart Wright

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Fran Townend
ABE – Jonathan Robbins
SUZANNA – Annie MacKay
GOOFY – John Marcucci

****

Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo

Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne

Editor: John Johnson

1st Scene Screenplay – RENAISSANCE MAN by Robert Tolz

1stscenescreenplay 1st Scene Screenplays, First Scene Script, Uncategorized, winning screenplays , , , , , , , , ,

Submit your First Scene to the Festival: http://firstscenescreenplay.com

Watch Table Reading of the March 2016 Winning First Scene Screenplay.

CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Fran Townend
ELISSA – Annie MacKay
BALTHAZAAR – Jonathan Robbins
PYGMALION – John Marcucci
LAZURUS/ACHERBUS – Sean Ballantyne

Get to know writer Robert Tolz: 

1. What is your screenplay about?

A renaissance faire actress, formerly a Wall Street occupier, and an apparently regular guy visiting the faire fall in love – until she finds out he’s her incredibly rich undercover boss.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Because it’s funny, colorful, romantic and engaging, and because it has more on its mind than your standard rom-com.

3. How would you describe this script in two words?

Love transcends

4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

Groundhog Day

5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

Gestation- 3 to 4 years; Labor- about 6 months.

6. How many stories have you written?

Half a dozen.

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

I wanted to tell a fun story about people crossing conventional economic lines, dogmas and expectations – Joseph Campbell in sheep’s clothing.

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

None.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

The evolution of the human race.

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I understand that the first few pages of a screenplay are critical to getting the story past the gatekeepers, and I wanted to see whether I was successful. Initial feedback was encouraging and it also appropriately threw light on some needs of the script.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

You will no doubt be receiving lots of feedback and some of it will be conflicting. It’s your job to separate the wheat from the chaff. You are the ultimate architect of your story.

****
Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo

Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne

Editor: John Johnson

1st Scene Screenplay – ELISSA OF TYRE by Alan Mehanna

1stscenescreenplay 1st Scene Screenplays, Film Freeway, First Scene Script, Uncategorized, winning screenplays , , , , , , , , , ,

Submit your First Scene to the Festival: http://firstscenescreenplay.com

Watch Table Reading of the March 2016 Winning First Scene Screenplay.

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Fran Townend
ELISSA – Annie MacKay
BALTHAZAAR – Jonathan Robbins
PYGMALION – John Marcucci
LAZURUS/ACHERBUS – Sean Ballantyne

Get to know writer Alan Mehanna:

1. What is your screenplay about?

TYRE 820 BC – the death of the king causes ripples within the city as politics take over and the citizens fight over who between his two heirs should take the throne in his place. This is the origin story of Elissa, Princess of Tyre and how she rose to become the legendary Phoenician Queen.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

“Films communicate information and ideas, and they show us places and ways of life we might not otherwise know.” One of my favorite quotes from Film Art by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson and I believe it truly answers this question. Too often now in cinema the Middle East is portrayed negatively and as a Lebanese American screenwriter I believe it is my job to bring about better portrayals of my culture and my world.

3. How would you describe this script in two words?

Historical Drama.

4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

A tie between Empire Strikes Back and The Two Towers.

5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

Three years.

6. How many stories have you written?

Around 10.

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

I have always had an interest in ancient history and being Lebanese, the Phoenicians are our ancestors. Elissa, before becoming Queen of Carthage, was a Phoenician princess and while
researching Phoenician history, I connected with her story. I lived in America for 13 years and in Lebanon for the same amount so I have always used that to tell tales that have universal
themes. I, also, loved the fact that she was a strong woman from the Middle East.

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

The Phoenicians never left records of their history, so I had to read Greek accounts, Roman accounts, as well as others to try and create a path for the film I was going to write. Nailing down the factual part of the screenplay was the hardest.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I love acting. My father is a known actor in Lebanon, so I guess I inherited this.

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I wanted to finally start exposing myself as a screenwriter and nothing works better than taking a leap and throwing one’s work out there. I loved the initial feedback because it shed some light on what wasn’t working in the screenplay and once I applied what was said in the notes, I noticed the difference.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Always be open to listening to feedback and notes. It’s sometimes eye-opening. When you are writing you get so close to the characters, the conflict, and the world of your story that you can sometimes miss some opportunities that could strengthen the screenplay.

****
Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo

Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne

Editor: John Johnson